Withdrawals & Refunds

Students are required to withdraw from the college through established procedures. Failure to withdraw properly may lead to forfeiting the opportunity to continue college attendance in the future. While classes are in session students must initiate the procedure at the Learning Center. It is recommended that a student contemplating withdrawal after the start of classes should first consult the Learning Center staff before initiating the withdrawal process. Prior to the start of class, students should begin at Registration Services. The retention counselor will notify all appropriate offices of a withdrawal, including the Office of Registration Services, Financial Aid/Student Billing, and the student’s instructors and advisors. 

A college community has the responsibility of establishing guidelines to facilitate the individual growth and development of each student. Accordingly, when it is judged by the Director of the Learning Center and the Dean of Student Development Services that a particular student is not in a position to benefit from his or her enrollment because of certain personal problems, the college has the obligation to withhold permission to pursue academic studies at the college. Such students shall be withdrawn from the college by the Director of the Learning Center with the approval of the Dean of Student Development Services.

A student who enters military service while attending SUNY Sullivan, and is thereby unable to finish his or her academic work, will receive a grade of W in each of his or her incomplete courses. A copy of enlistment papers or military orders must be filed with the Office of Registration Services.

The deadline for dropping a course is the last day of the 3rd week of the semester, for a 14-week course, or its equivalent for a shorter semester.  Withdrawing from a course with a grade of W is available from the beginning of the 4th week to the last day of the 10th week of the semester, or for courses that do not run for 14 weeks, the equivalent of the tenth week of the course.  

• After classes begin, all withdrawals are officially processed through the Student Success Center; Prior to start of classes withdrawals are processed by the Registrar’s Office
• Refunds for students who withdraw will not be processed until after the fifth week of the semester
• In the event a course is canceled by the college, any tuition and fees directly associated with that course will be refunded to registered students
• The first day that classes are offered, as scheduled by the college, shall be considered the first day of the semester, quarter, or other term, and the first week of classes for purposes of this section, shall be deemed to have ended when seven calendar days, including the first day of scheduled classes, have elapsed
• A student who is dismissed for academic or disciplinary reasons prior to the end of an academic term shall be liable for all tuition and fees due for that term

Any student who officially withdraws from a course or from the college prior to the first class will receive a one-hundred percent refund of tuition and fees. A student who officially withdraws after the first class meets shall be liable for payment of tuition and refundable fees in accordance with the following schedule:

Registration of returning students will not be permitted unless all previous college financial obligations have been met and all college property (including library books) from the previous semester have been returned in satisfactory condition. Unless all of these obligations have been met, there will be no release by the college of information including transcripts to other colleges and universities or business and industrial employers.

The Higher Education Act 34 CFR 668.22 requires institutions to determine the earned and unearned portions of Title IV aid as of the date the student ceased attendance based on the amount of time spent in attendance. The policy governs all federal grant and loan programs (Pell, direct loans, SEOG, Perkins, and PLUS loans) but does not include the federal work-study program.

In general, the law assumes that a student “earns” approved (verified) federal financial aid awards in proportion to the number of days in the term prior to the student’s complete withdrawal. If a student completely withdraws from school or ceases to attend up through the 60 percent point during a semester (end of 9th week in a 15th week semester), the school must calculate, according to a specific formula, the portion of the total scheduled financial assistance the student has earned and is therefore entitled to retain until the time the student withdrew. If a student receives (or the college receives on the student’s behalf) more assistance than he/she earns, the unearned funds must be returned to the Department of Education or the federal Stafford or parent’s federal PLUS loan lenders. If a student’s charges are less than the amount earned and a refund is due the student may be able to receive those additional funds.

The portion of the federal grants and loans that the student is entitled to receive is calculated on a percentage basis by comparing the total number of days in the semester to the number of days the student completed before he/she withdrew or cease attendance. For example, if a student completes 30 percent of the semester, he/she earns 30 percent of the approved federal aid that he/she was scheduled to receive. This means that 70 percent of the student’s scheduled or disbursed aid remains unearned and must be returned to the federal programs.

This policy governs the earned and unearned portions of the student’s federal Title IV financial aid only. It determines how much, if any, the student and/or the school may need to return. This policy does not affect the student’s charges. The college’s withdrawal policy will be used to determine the reduction, if any, in the student’s tuition and fee charges. The student is responsible for paying any outstanding charges to the college.

The college will determine the student’s official withdrawal date as follows:

1. The date the student began the college’s withdrawal process (the date that the student officially notified the counseling center of his/her intent to withdraw); or
2. Up through the 60% point of the semester or term if the student withdraws (“walks away”) without notifying the college; or
3. The student’s last date of attendance at an academically related activity as documented by the college

If it is determined that a portion of the financial aid received on the student’s behalf is unearned, the college shares with the student the responsibility of returning those funds.

Any grant funds the student is required to return to the federal program(s) will be considered an overpayment. The student must either repay the amount in full or make satisfactory payment arrangements with the Department of Education to repay the amount. If the student fails to repay or make payment arrangements to repay an overpayment the student will lose his/her eligibility to receive future federal financial aid at any institution. The student billing office will notify and provide instructions to students who are required to return funds to the government.

Allocating Returned Title IV (Federal) Aid

Funds that are returned to the federal government are used to reduce the outstanding balances in individual federal programs. Financial aid returned (by the college and/or the student or parent) must be allocated in the following order:

1. Federal unsubsidized direct loan
2. Federal subsidized direct loan
3. Federal Perkins loan
4. Federal Direct PLUS (Parent) loan
5. Federal Pell grant
6. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
7. Other federal loan or grant assistance

Students whose circumstances require that they withdraw from all classes are strongly encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office and their academic advisor before doing so. At that time, the consequences of withdrawing from all classes can be explained and illustrated. The student billing office staff can also provide refund examples and further explain this policy to students or parents.